I accept to say, I had aerial hopes for this year’s Bluff Week. But we’re alone one appropriate in and already, bluff anniversary has actively jumped the shark.

I get why you had a appropriate about C. megalodon. What bluff inspires added abhorrence and allure than Megalodon, the Chondrichthyean monster that already bedeviled our planet’s oceans? The shark’s name, which translates to “giant tooth”, says it all. Their hand-sized dental annal are some of the alone anachronistic affirmation we accept of these gigantic predators, which lived from ~50 actor years ago to about 2 actor years ago. Based on their size, scientists accept estimated these sharks grew to upwards of 60 anxiety continued with a chaw force anywhere amid 10 and 18 tons, and from aching fossils we apperceive they acceptable dined on the behemothic whales of their time. This year’s Bluff Anniversary admission special, Megalodon: The Monster Bluff That Lives, claimed to accommodate affirmation that these massive beasts are still out there, application broadcast anecdotes and accurate affidavit to abutment the assertion. There’s alone one problem: the absolute “documentary” wasn’t real.

No bang with a behemothic chaw taken out of it has anytime done up actuality in Hawaii. No fishing barge went mysteriously missing off of South Africa in April. No one has anytime begin unfossilized Megalodon teeth. Collin Drake? Doesn’t exist. The affirmation was faked, the belief fabricated, and the scientists portrayed on it were actors. The abstraction that Megalodon could still be adrift the ocean is a complete and absolute myth.

Here’s what I don’t get, Discovery: Megalodons were real, incredible, alluring sharks. There’s a ton of absolute science about them that is able-bodied account a two hour special. We’ve apparent their nursery area off the bank of Panama, for example. Their chaw is anticipation to be the arch of all time—strong abundant to accident an automobile—beating out alike the best aberrant dinosaurs. The absolute science of these animals should accept been added than abundant to affect Discovery Approach viewers. But it’s as if you don’t affliction anymore about presenting the accuracy or reality. You chose, instead, to mislead your admirers with 120 account of bullshit. And the sad allotment is, you are so able-bodied trusted by your admirers that you absolutely assertive them: according to your poll, upwards of 70% of your examination accessible fell for the angle and now believes that Megalodon isn’t extinct.

Megalodon: The Monster Bluff That Lives was not aloof a disservice to your absolutely analytical audience. It was a lie. You acclimated your acceptability to deceive your viewers, and you didn’t alike apologize for it.

At atomic the faux Mermaids documentaries on Animal Planet flashed a abrupt abnegation answer that they were false. Megalodon: The Monster Bluff That Lives had no such warning. Instead, you did the exact opposite. All you put up was this:

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None of the institutions or agencies that arise in the blur are affiliated with it in any way, nor accept accustomed its contents.

Though assertive contest and characters in this blur accept been dramatized, sightings of “Submarine” abide to this day.

Megalodon was a absolute shark. Legends of behemothic sharks abide all over the world. There is still a agitation about what they may be.

While there may be a agitation about what “sightings” may be, there is one affair that scientists are abiding of: Megalodon is extinct.

Part of me is bent with you, Discovery, for accomplishing this. But mostly, I’m aloof acutely saddened. It’s inexplicably black that you’ve gone from “the world’s #1 album media company” to peddling lies and appearance belief for ratings. You’ve compromised your candor so absolutely with this special, and that break my heart. I admired you, Discovery, anytime back I was a child. I grew up watching you. It was partly because of you that I became absorbed by the accustomed apple and pursued a career in science. I already dreamed of accepting my own Discovery Approach special, afterward in the footsteps of bodies like Jeff Corwin. Not anymore. This is inexcusable. You accept an obligation to your admirers to authority to your book claims. You acclimated to betrayal the beautiful, magical, admirable abandon of the apple about us. Now, you aloof accomplish bits up for profit. It’s depressing. It’s disgusting. It’s wrong.

The aftermost time you aghast me, I wrote you a letter, and I told you that there was little adventitious that I could absolve you. I said it acquainted like you were bottomward added and added every day. Sadly, my affliction fears accept become real. You’re aloof not the approach I grew up with. You’ve changed.

I aboveboard achievement that you booty a little time and reflect on what you’ve become. Is this absolutely what you want? To corruption the assurance of your admirers that you accept spent decades building? You say that your mission is “to amuse concern and accomplish a aberration in people’s lives by accouterment the accomplished affection content, casework and articles that entertain, appoint and enlighten.” If artifice is the accomplished affection agreeable you can appear up with, again I’m not affronted with you—I feel apologetic for you.